Reel China

choi

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A series in Los Angeles Times (LA Times). I introduced (4) on July 10, 2011.

In chronological order.
(1) John Horn, Targets an Elusive Film Fan — the Chinese American. Many don't go to theaters, but China Lion is hoping to change that. Its latest film is the multi-genre 'The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsmen.' LA Times, Mar 20, 2011.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-china-lion-20110320,0,6393871.story

Quote:

"For years, Chinese films shown in U.S. theaters have fallen into two distinct camps, both driven by largely white patrons: martial-arts movies for young men, such as Jet Li's 'Hero,' or critically acclaimed art-house fare, such as Kaige Chen's 'Farewell My Concubine.' Only rarely has a movie conquered both blocs, as did Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.'

"More than 3.5 million people of Chinese descent live in the United States, according to 2007 data, and more than 1.3 million reside in Canada. But as film distributors have discovered, many Chinese movie fans simply don't go to theaters here. They're accustomed to watching films on specialty cable TV channels, over the Internet or on pirated DVDs — bootleg discs of the latest Chinese movies are often available in the United States within three days of their home country release.

Note:
(a) The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman  刀見笑
(b) Wuershan   乌尔善
(c) Jabba the Hutt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabba_the_Hutt


(2) Ben Fritz and John Horn, Hollywood Tries to Stay on China's Good Side. Without Beijing even uttering a critical word, MGM is changing the villains in its 'Red Dawn' remake from Chinese to North Korean. It's all about maintaining access to the Asian superpower's lucrative box office. LA Times, Mar 16, 2011.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-china-red-dawn-20110316,0,995726.story

Quote:

"Today, China is far more important to the Hollywood studios, despite the government's policy of allowing only about 20 non-Chinese films into theaters each year. In 2010, China was the fifth-biggest box office market outside of the United States, with $1.5 billion in revenue.

"Although it's common to reshape movies in the editing room, there's no known precedent for changing the nationality of an entire group of characters.


(3) Benjamin Haas, Political Maneuvers Drive 'Beginning of the Great Revival's' Success. The epic about the Chinese Communist Party stars China's most famous actors. Theaters have cleared room for it and companies are pushing employees to see it. LA Times, June 24, 2011
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-communist-movie-20110624,0,2466369.story
("Tang Wei, who had been banned from appearing in Chinese films after her racy scenes in Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution," was set to play an early girlfriend of Mao Tse-tung. But descendants of the great helmsman, namely Maj. Gen. Mao Xinyu, reportedly intervened to have her cut from the film")

Note: Beginning of the Great Revival  建党伟业


(4) Steven Zeitchink and David Pierson, It's Rough Out West for Chinese Films. Films that have been blockbusters in China have failed to find much of a market in the U.S. Zhang Yimou's $100-million "The Heroes of Nanking," with Christian Bale and large portion of English dialogue, tries to change that. LA Times, July 3, 2011.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-china-blockbuster-20110703,0,6297335.story

(5) Joh Horn, Will It Play in Peoria and Shanghai?  Wendi Murdoch and Florence Sloan position 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' to appeal to audiences in the U.S. and China. LA Times, July 14, 2011.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-word-20110714,0,6127056.story

Note:
(a) Peoria, Illinois
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoria,_Illinois
(the largest city on the Illinois River; named after the Peoria tribe)

Quote: "Peoria has become famous as a representation of the average American city because of its demographics and its perceived mainstream Midwestern culture. On the Vaudeville circuit, it was said that if an act would succeed in Peoria, it would work anywhere. The question 'Will it play in Peoria?' has now become a metaphor for whether something appeals to the American mainstream public.

(b) Northridge, Los Angeles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northridge,_Los_Angeles
(c) framing device
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_device
(d) dusty (adj): "lacking vitality : DRY <dusty scholarship>"
www.m-w.com
(e) Allen & Company
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_%26_Company
(f) Rita Wilson has been married to actor Tom Hanks since 1988.
(g) Hot Summer Days (2010)   全城热恋
(h) laotong (noun) 老同   
(i) nu shu 女书
(j) Hugo SHONG 熊 晓鸽  


--------------------------------Separately
China's film industry |  Kung Fu Propaganda; There’s a ton of easy money in praising the party. Economist, July 14, 2011
http://www.economist.com/node/18959042

Note: The "bottom" in "bureaucratic bottoms" is ass/buttocks.


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